Leaving the Hero Faction and Cao Cao to handle Apophis, I pushed deeper into the blood-red sky.
Legions of Evil Dragons and clones of myself surged forward to block my path, but I didn't slow down. I tore through them head-on, crushing everything in my way. After flying at full throttle for a time, a massive structure—as tall as a skyscraper—loomed before me. It radiated a dark, malevolent aura, marking the absolute center of this world.
This was where Asem waited.
Before arriving, Tia had warned me that Asem was using one of the split bodies of the Trihexa as a power source to mass-produce Evil Dragons. As I scanned the perimeter, I saw it—a gargantuan monstrosity standing right before the tower.
"GOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!"
With a roar that shook the heavens, the beast unleashed a colossal torrent of flame. Dammit, he's starting off with that?!
Ddraig's voice rang out in my mind, sharp with warning.
『Careful, Partner! Those flames could incinerate a God-class being in a single strike. No matter how strong you've become, if you take a direct hit—no, if it even so much as grazes you—you'll be reduced to ash.』
A monster that even the gods couldn't face head-on. I'd heard Azazel-sensei had a plan, but I couldn't imagine what kind of strategy could work against this.
Squinting at the Trihexa's massive form, I noticed magic formulas etched across its entire body. As the engravings began to glow a sinister purple, a massive magic circle expanded beneath its feet. The light intensified, and a swarm of mass-produced Evil Dragons erupted from the circle all at once.
So that's how he's churning them out. I looked at the numbers and… yeah, I decided to stop counting. In that single burst alone, enough dragons had emerged to carpet the sky and the earth.
As expected of a calamity said to be on par with Great Red. The scale was leagues beyond what Apophis could produce with the Holy Grail. If this was their primary production hub, shutting it down would make the rest of the war a hell of a lot easier.
I tried to focus on a way to stop the beast, but the Trihexa's newborn swarm descended on me like a cloud of locusts. Individually, they were nothing, but the sheer weight of their numbers was a massive pain. To make matters worse, every time the Trihexa spat fire, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.
Every single shot is terrifying!
I spread my dragon wings and banked hard through the air. If I stayed here and traded blows, I'd run out of time long before I ran out of enemies. Is there a way around this…?!
"Tch…! These bastards just won't stop coming!"
Every Evil Dragon and clone in the vicinity was locked onto me. No matter how much I increased my speed, they anticipated my movements, cutting off my path at every turn.
『It seems the dragons stationed here act as sentries for the tower,』 Ddraig observed. 『They're programmed to eliminate anyone who draws near. That includes the Trihexa itself.』
"Well, isn't that just the world's worst welcoming committee!"
While mid-flight, I deployed the cannons on my back and opened fire in two directions. The EXA's bombardment reduced the enemies to dust without leaving a trace. I thought I'd cleared a decent path, but the enemy wasn't that naive.
The Trihexa let out another roar, triggering the magic formula again. Countless more Evil Dragons came pouring out. I clicked my tongue in frustration.
"Dammit! For every one I kill, he just replaces them… no, he's adding even more!"
It was true. Between my attacks and the Trihexa's production, the enemy's numbers were actually growing. Even Ddraig sounded fed up.
『Wiping out the small fry is a waste of time. To break through, we have no choice but to stop the source.』
"Stop the source? You mean stop the Trihexa? Easy for you to say! The combined forces of the world's gods and every legendary warrior out there couldn't even make this thing flinch!"
Which meant… I had to go all in.
"Ddraig, sorry. —We're docking!"
『Wait, what?!』
I deployed a specialized summoning circle. As it erupted in a brilliant red light, a crimson fighter jet materialized from the ether. This was one of my ultimate trump cards: The Oppaiser!
I knew Ddraig would probably end up in tears after this, but I didn't have a choice!
The Oppaiser and I soared high into the sky, gaining altitude rapidly. Once the jet was positioned perfectly behind me, I screamed at the top of my lungs:
"——DOCKING!!"
『DOCKING SENSOR!』
『OPPAISER DOCKING MODE! OPPAISER DOCKING MODE!』
Voices rang out from the gems embedded in my armor and the jet's hull. The craft shifted and transformed, revealing a series of mechanical ports. Beams of light connected the newly exposed gems to the ones on my back, stabilizing the volatile EXA energy into a perfect state.
It had been a while, but this was it.
"Double-OOppaiser! Ready for battle!"
『Uwaaaaahhhh! Whyyyyyyy?!』 Ddraig wailed in existential agony.
"Don't cry, Ddraig! I want to cry too!"
Honestly, the ones suffering the most were probably Alice and Rias. Because whenever I use this…
[Meanwhile, with the Double Switch Princesses]
""What?! My nipples are glowing?! Not again! He's docking, isn't he?!""
Rias and Alice. The light emanating from the two princesses' chests illuminated the battlefield with a strange, divine radiance.
[End of the Double Switch Princesses segment]
Yeah, I'll apologize later, I thought. I'd give them my most sincere, full-power Moon-Sault Jumping Dogeza.
But more importantly, Alice and Rias must have refilled the Oppaiser's energy. I had a pretty good idea of who did the "milking" to get the energy ready, though.
Regardless, with the power of the Double-OOppaiser!
"Ddraig, we're clearing the field with Trans-Am!"
『Are you mad?! Trans-Am is our final trump card! We can't waste it here!』
"I know! But if we don't break through here, there won't be a 'later'!"
Besides, the enemy wasn't waiting. The Trihexa was already deep in its throat, charging another blast of world-ending fire.
I summoned Ignis and launched my Feather Bits. The bits transformed, merging with Ignis to form a massive blade. I leveled the tip of the giant sword directly at the Trihexa. Then, I released all the power stored within the gems across my armor in a single, explosive burst.
"——TRANS-AM!!"
『Partner?!』
Ignoring Ddraig's protest, I activated the system. My entire body began to radiate a crimson, lotus-like glow. A terrifying amount of power surged into Ignis's blade as I unleashed the ultimate strike: The Longinus Raiser!
My Longinus Raiser and the Trihexa's fire breath collided mid-air at almost the exact same moment. The impact was so violent it felt like reality itself was shattering; the shockwave alone reduced every nearby Evil Dragon and clone to ash.
For a moment, the two beams were locked in a stalemate, but the balance quickly tilted. The Longinus Raiser began to push back.
"I don't have time to play games with you! GET OUT OF MY WAYYYYY!!"
As if responding to my will, the Longinus Raiser's output spiked. The crimson blade of light finally carved straight through the Trihexa's attack and struck home.
"Hah… hah… hah… Phew."
The attack ended, and I powered down. The Oppaiser, its energy spent, was enveloped in light and returned to the magic circle.
Ddraig spoke, sounding completely exasperated. 『That was reckless. The real fight is only just beginning. Did you plan on using up all your strength right here?』
"Sorry, sorry. But honestly, I'm not as drained as I thought I'd be. I can even maintain my EXA form."
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